1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and more specifically to a lock mechanism configured to lock a drawer unit drawably stored in a body of the image forming apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional image forming apparatus such as a copier and a printer is configured to form an image on a sheet conveyed to an image forming portion from a sheet storage portion and to discharge the sheet on which the image has been formed out of a body of the image forming apparatus (referred to an ‘apparatus body’ hereinafter). Here, there is such an image forming apparatus having a unit drawably stored in the apparatus body. In removing a jammed sheet and replacing a component the drawably stored unit of the image forming apparatus is configured drawn out.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2011-191400 discloses an image forming apparatus configured to unlock a unit locked to the apparatus body by two lock members. The unit is unlocked by manipulating two drawing levers provided at a center part of the unit. A user draws the unit out of the apparatus body by pulling the drawing levers after the unit is unlocked when the drawing levers are manipulated. When the user ends a work, such as an unjamming work, performed in a condition in which the unit has been drawn out, the user pushes the unit into the apparatus body using the drawing levers to store and then locks the unit by manipulating the two drawing levers.
Here, if the timing for manipulating the two drawing levers to lock the unit are not coordinated, there is a possibility of causing an unbalanced closure by which either one of the two lock members becomes inoperative. It is not preferable to execute an operation of forming an image on a sheet in the condition in which the unit is closed in the unbalanced manner because skewing and jamming of the sheet are liable to occur. As a result, the image forming apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2011-191400 is provided with a link member, linking the two lock members and preventing unbalanced closure by interlocking the two drawing levers and the two lock members.
However, because the two drawing levers are provided at the center part of the unit in the image forming apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2011-191400, there is such a case that it is hard for the user to manipulate the drawing levers and the lock members depending on disposition and size of the unit and on a place where the image forming apparatus is installed.
Still further, if the user pushes the unit into the image forming apparatus by holding end portions of the unit, not the two drawing levers provided at the center part, the unit may be substantially leaned with respect to a direction into which the unit is pushed because forces for pushing the unit are applied to the end portions of the unit. If the user tries to lock the unit by manipulating the drawing levers in the condition in which the unit is leaned as described above, there is a possibility of causing an unbalanced closure of the unit.